Chapter 618: A Desperate Struggle |
"Can we retrieve it?"
"He's already been discovered by my Realm Spirit."
The old man's gaze sharpened as he asked solemnly.
"He can't do anything to him."
Ning Qi said dismissively, "My Realm Spirit has the entrance to my Pocket Dimension with him."
"That's still useless. This Realm Spirit is full of schemes; he won't be able to handle him."
The old man shook his head, continuing to warn him.
"Alright, I'll go notify him."
Seeing the old man's serious expression, Ning Qi couldn't help but waver.
Here, he had sealed Shi Xiaokun's Soul Blood.
As long as he was here, he could establish contact with Shi Xiaokun.
"Shi Xiaokun."
He called out upon entering.
"Master!"
Shi Xiaokun responded quickly.
His ethereal body floated out from the sealed Soul Blood.
"How is the resource collection going outside?"
Ning Qi asked first.
"It's been finished long ago. I was just about to go find you."
Shi Xiaokun said with a smile.
"I've encountered the Realm Spirit of this place here. That bastard is everywhere, swindling and deceiving."
"If there's nothing else, just return to your soul form directly to avoid encountering him and being tricked again."
Ning Qi nodded and said gravely.
"Oh, there's a Realm Spirit here too?"
Hearing this, Shi Xiaokun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Yes, I'm already with the old Domain Lord of this realm."
"Come back."
Ning Qi nodded and continued.
"Alright, that's simple. I just need to dissipate my soul, and I'll naturally return."
Shi Xiaokun agreed, then suddenly vanished.
The next moment, the Soul Blood within his Consciousness Sea began to fluctuate.
Amidst the fluctuations, his soul force gradually began to strengthen.
After a few breaths, he suddenly began to slowly condense his true form from the Soul Blood.
"Hah!"
The next instant, he disappeared completely.
Seeing this, Ning Qi flashed and reappeared outside,
only to see Shi Xiaokun already condensed in the outside world.
Clearly, he had already returned on his own through his secret method.
"Pretty fast."
Seeing this, Ning Qi couldn't help but say with a smile.
"It's too simple."
Shi Xiaokun then said, "Master, then how do we get out? Is that bastard waiting for us?"
"He was just outside, but he's not there now."
The old man walked back over and said, "The direction he just went is exactly where you were."
"What? You know where I was?"
Hearing this, Shi Xiaokun couldn't help but widen his eyes.
He revealed an incredulous expression.
He never expected that he would be targeted by someone.
"Correct, look!"
The old man nodded, then waved a hand in front of the two of them.
"Whoosh!"
After a gust of wind, a phantom image appeared before them.
This phantom then gradually enlarged, finally turning into a Bronze Mirror that could observe the outside situation.
Within this Bronze Mirror was precisely the place where Shi Xiaokun had just dispersed his Spiritual Sense.
"This... it really is where I was just now."
Shi Xiaokun exclaimed in amazement, pointing at it, "There's still my residual soul force here."
"Good, look over here!"
The old man nodded, then pointed further ahead.
Ning Qi also looked in that direction.
Sure enough, he discovered a figure rapidly approaching.
This was precisely the Realm Spirit from earlier.
He arrived at the place where Shi Xiaokun had just been and abruptly stopped,
beginning to observe the surrounding situation.
This made Ning Qi and the other man stare wide-eyed.
"He actually managed to find his way here."
Looking at the scene before him, Ning Qi also revealed a look of astonishment, "Good thing I told you to come back just now, otherwise it would have been troublesome."
"Yeah, how did he find me?"
Shi Xiaokun nodded.
"Because he is the Realm Spirit of this place. He naturally knows where you are."
The old man came over and explained, "From the very beginning, he knew what you were doing, which is why he deliberately didn't stop you."
"However, what he miscalculated was that he didn't expect you could return directly."
"What's more important is that your master actually managed to successfully break in."
"So, from the very beginning, he was plotting against us."
Ning Qi understood now, gritting his teeth as he said, "So, from before entering the wormhole, he already had his eye on me?"
"You're not wrong to understand it that way."
The old man nodded, then continued, "That was his goal, deliberately emitting the resource fluctuations you needed."
"As long as you came over and met his conditions, he would let you in."
"Many of you came in, and there are many corpses outside too. Those were all people he eliminated."
"And you two are about to succeed. What he miscalculated was that you both could break through the restrictions."
"Hmph, if that's the case, then I'll go meet him."
"If I had known someone was looking for me, I wouldn't have come back just now."
Shi Xiaokun snorted coldly, revealing an unwilling expression.
It seemed like fire was about to shoot from his eyes.
"You shouldn't go. Here, you are no match for him."
The old man shook his head and said gravely, "Both of you, if you go out now, will be attacked by him."
"Here, he is the king. Neither the Power of Rules nor your Dharma Body can deal with him."
"Because he is the Realm Spirit of this place, right?"
Ning Qi sighed, "Then how do we leave this place? As soon as we go out, we'll be targeted."
"That's the difficult part about wanting to leave."
"That's simple. You also have a Realm Spirit, so I'll give you the Origin Source power of this place."
"Once you also control this place, then it's easy to talk."
Hearing him say this, the old man couldn't help but explain.
"Oh, you mean, let us take control here?"
Hearing this, Ning Qi asked curiously, "One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Can this be done?"
"If it were someone else, it might not be possible, but I can do it."
The old man revealed a confident, assured expression, "You two just need to follow my arrangements."
"Once you gain control here, you can stand on equal footing with him."
"In the same environment, then it will depend on your true strength, who is stronger and who is weaker!"
The old man looked at Ning Qi and the other man, then continued, "You are currently at the Fifth-Rank Golden Immortal level. Wanting to deal with him should still be easy."
"Right, then, what should we do?"
Ning Qi nodded, asking eagerly.
"I just need to give you the Origin Source power. To control a realm, you don't need to do it."
"Your Realm Spirit can do it. Since he can control your Pocket Dimension, it won't be a difficult task for him."
The old man shifted his gaze to Shi Xiaokun, "Well? Do I need to teach you?"
"No need. You just need to give me the Origin Source power of this place."
"Just as you said, give my master a part too. That way, when he fights the Realm Spirit outside, he'll have a chance of winning."
"The Realm Spirit and I are both at the Celestial Immortal level. Our strength isn't that different."
Shi Xiaokun said seriously.
His eyes were fixed on the Bronze Mirror before him.
In it, the Realm Spirit was searching everywhere for his trail.
"Good, then let's begin!"
After agreeing, the old man went directly to the center of the courtyard and began merging with the Origin Source power of this place.
For a moment, bursts of fluctuations erupted in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, in the Bronze Mirror, the Realm Spirit was wondering what was happening.
"Damn it, where is he?"
He searched everywhere in the void for Shi Xiaokun's trail.
Unfortunately, here, his aura was already beginning to dissipate.
It was impossible for him to have left. He had clearly sensed him here just moments ago.
Why did he suddenly disappear?
The Realm Spirit was puzzled and began to disperse his Spiritual Sense, continuing to explore where Shi Xiaokun might have gone.
However, to his disappointment, no matter how he searched, it was futile.
He simply couldn't detect Shi Xiaokun's trail.
"It must be that old guy playing tricks, taking him away."
"Then, he should already be with that old thing now."
The Realm Spirit coldly shifted his gaze back to the direction of the ancient castle where Ning Qi was,
then transformed into a streak of light and abruptly began rushing back.
"Whoosh!"
After flying for a while, he suddenly stopped.
The expression on his face gradually twisted.
"That old thing, he actually shared the Origin Source power of this place with these two bastards."
The Realm Spirit said through gritted teeth, "He's made up his mind for a fight to the death with me. He's casually giving away something as important as the Origin Source power, just to deal with me!"
"I won't let you succeed. Just wait and see."
After shouting this, he sped forward at full speed.
After a few flashes, he had already vanished from his original location.
When he reappeared, he had already arrived at the ancient castle Ning Qi had entered earlier.
He flew down and landed in the previous courtyard.
"Old thing, get out here! I know you're helping them."
"You want a fight to the death with me? I warn you, if you do this, you'll also be destroyed, body and soul!"
In the courtyard, the Realm Spirit began roaring towards the location of the formation.
His eyes were filled with rage.
He never expected the old man would resort to such a desperate measure.
"Hah."
Inside the restricted space where Ning Qi and the old man were.
The old man took a deep breath.
He now looked much older than before.
His entire aura had also withered considerably.
"Old Senior, are you sacrificing yourself?"
Ning Qi also heard the Realm Spirit outside shouting now.
Only then did he realize what the old man was doing.
"Don't worry. Even if I die, I won't drag you down."
"But once you go out, you must help me get revenge."
"Help me kill this ungrateful bastard!"
The old man forced a smile, revealing a weathered feeling.
"Shi Xiaokun, you knew earlier, why didn't you say anything?"
Mentioning this, Ning Qi immediately knew that Shi Xiaokun had deliberately kept it from him.
"Master, this..."
Shi Xiaokun scratched his head.
At this moment, his aura was stronger.
He looked radiant, all because he had absorbed the old man's Origin Source power.
Now, he was much stronger than before.
Including Ning Qi as well; the old man had also given him a large portion of the Origin Source power.
Now, he was no longer just an ordinary Fifth-Rank Golden Immortal Cultivator.
Within his body, he also possessed Origin Source power that ordinary Fifth-Rank Golden Immortal Cultivators did not have.
This power had already elevated his combat strength far beyond that of cultivators of the same rank.
"Alright, it's not his fault. I deliberately didn't let him tell you."
The old man waved his hand, then said with a smile, "Nothing here can trap you anymore. Now you can go out and help me kill him."
"Old Senior, besides this, do you have any other unfulfilled wishes?"
Ning Qi looked at the old man and quickly asked.
"No, for so many years, this old man has already been without desires or wants."
"As long as I can avenge the destruction of this realm, the rest is up to you."
As the old man spoke, his entire body began to gradually dissipate.
Finally, before he could finish speaking, he ceased to exist.
If not for the trace of his aura still lingering in the void, no one would know there had been a person here just moments ago.
"Master, now, the Old Senior has completely vanished."
Shi Xiaokun came over and said.
"Fine, this is all a karmic entanglement."
"Since that's the case, let's go out."
"This Realm Spirit, I'll handle him. Once we kill him, we'll leave this place."
"By the time we get out, they should have finished looting everything."
Ning Qi sighed, revealing a look of melancholy.
This was the first old senior he had encountered with such a pure state of mind.
Without desires or wants, this was probably something one could only let go of after experiencing great joys and sorrows.
"Master, the reason Old Senior was like this is probably also related to the destruction of this place."
"His family and disciples were likely all killed here."
"That's why he chose to abandon himself and return to heaven and earth."
Shi Xiaokun was still sensing the old man's residual aura and couldn't help but say, "All of this is the doing of that Realm Spirit outside."
"Alright, let's go then."
Ning Qi nodded, no longer delaying. With a flash, he directly disappeared from within.
"Whoosh."
Outside, in the small courtyard of the ancient castle.
The Realm Spirit was furious, still roaring here.
"You old scoundrel, you've harmed me!"
He cursed hysterically.
At this moment, he could clearly sense the weakening of the Origin Source power here.
Clearly, the old man had taken a step he shouldn't have.
"Stop cursing. I'm here."
Ning Qi suddenly appeared, his eyes filled with rage.
"Hmph, you've finally come out."
The Realm Spirit snorted coldly, his eyes venomously fixed on Ning Qi, "Return my Origin Source power to me, and I can let bygones be bygones, sparing your life."
"If you remain obstinate, then I'll grind your bones to dust, refine your Soul, and make you suffer eternal damnation."
"Oh? You think you have the strength to do that?"
Ning Qi smiled, looking coldly at the Realm Spirit before him.
"Master, let me meet him."
Shi Xiaokun also flashed into appearance, a glint of killing intent in his eyes.
"Perfect timing. I'll deal with you both together, saving me the trouble of looking for you later."
The Realm Spirit said dismissively, revealing a cold smile, "Even with the Origin Source power of this place, you still can't escape my grasp."
"Because I am the Realm Spirit of this place!"
"Is that so? Then let's give it a try."
Ning Qi smiled, then abruptly displayed his Golden Immortal strength.
Fierce Wind surged around his entire body, and strands of Golden Light began to swirl around him.
However, soon, strands of Demonic Energy also appeared around him, surging along.
At this moment, he was simultaneously circulating his Immortal-Demonic Power once again.